


please, let us be happy

by probablyfakenews



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man - All Media Types, Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)
Genre: 5+1 Things, Amputation, Avengers: Endgame (Movie) Spoilers, Everybody Lives, Fix-It, I swear, starts out angsty but this is a happy story
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-22
Updated: 2019-07-29
Packaged: 2020-03-09 09:55:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 10,804
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18914602
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/probablyfakenews/pseuds/probablyfakenews
Summary: Tony braced himself to be slapped. To be yelled at. He deserved it. He welcomed it. But as May Parker approached him, fire burning behind her tear-filled eyes, she did the one thing that Tony never expected.She hugged him."Thank you," she cried. "You brought the world back. You brought my boy back."Or, 5 times Tony realized that Peter was a hero, and 1 time he told the world about it.





	1. inevitable

 Less than a minute. 

Tony spent five years waiting for the kid to return, waiting for that awful, bone-deep void in his heart to be filled in again. But when he finally had him back, he held him for less than a minute before running off to do bigger things. More important things. 

As if anything in the world was more important than Peter Parker. 

 

_"Mr. Stark!"_

_Tony was intimately familiar with the feeling of his heart stopping in his chest. As he watched Peter scramble down a pile of debris, looking as young and innocent as he had all those years ago, on a different barren wasteland, in a different battle, he felt it again. A beat. A pause, and then a restart._

_Peter ran up to him, talking a mile a minute not only with his words but also his hands, quirks and gestures that betrayed his excitement, his nerves. "Holy cow! Do you remember how we were in space a few minutes ago? And...  what's all that grey stuff in your hair?_

_"It's just grey hair."_

_"Oh. Anyway, Doctor Strange-" The kid rambled on, as if Tony's heart wasn't slowly piecing itself back together right in front of him. He pulled Peter into a hug. It was uncomfortable, clunky, separated by two metal suits and half a decade of lost time._

_Tony pressed his face against Peter's shoulder. His lips against Peter's cheek. The gesture was second nature to him, after these years as a father, and it took a moment for him to remember that it wasn't familiar to Peter. They were close, but not like this. He would never replace the kid's father or uncle, and for a brief moment Tony worried that Peter would reject him._

_But the kid, and that's all he really was, a kid, with no place in this godforsaken war zone, melted into the hug. It felt familiar. It felt right._

_But then it was over, and Tony walked away._

_He should never have walked away._

 

Tony doubled over, his elbows on his knees, clasping his hands together in a last-ditch attempt to hide their shaking. He wasn't alone in the waiting room, but he hadn't even spared the others a glance.They gave him a wide berth. Probably due to the day-old layer of grime that still caked his skin and hair. Dirt, blood, and ash, so much ash. He didn't think that he'd ever be able to wash it out completely.  

"Tones..." 

A warm presence settled by his side. Tony didn't look up. He pressed his forehead against his hands, his knuckles digging into his skin. The pain was a welcome distraction from his thoughts. Grounding. Maybe if he dug in deep enough, Rhodey would never be able to find him and would spare him from this conversation. 

"You have to take care of yourself," Rhodey said, not condescending, never condescending,  but definitely disappointed. 

"Why does he always do this?" Tony snapped. "Every time I turn my back, he's doing some other reckless, stupid, thing. "

"He saved the world, Tony." Rhodey's hand found a firm grip on Tony's shoulder. It should have been comforting, but it just made him feel trapped. 

Tony shoved him away. "Damn the world!" he yelled. The waiting room fell into shocked silence. Tony didn't care. He stormed out, ignoring the burning of a dozen eyes on his back as he left. 

A world without Peter was not worth saving. 

 

_"I am inevitable!" Thanos raised the gauntlet up high. Victory was etched into the curve of the Mad Titan's mouth, the glint in his eye. Maybe he was right. Maybe this all really was inevitable. Five years of planning, of daring to hope for a new future, a new life, and it all came back full circle._

_Tony was going to lose everything again._

_Thanos snapped. Tony braced himself, waiting for the end of everything they had worked for._

_But nothing happened._

_"Hello, Inevitable."_

_A strained voice spoke up somewhere behind Tony. He thought his heart had stopped before, but nothing could compare to the overwhelming dread that swallowed him as he turned to face Peter. Peter, who gritted his teeth, shaking beneath the burden of the gauntlet he held out in front him, glistening with six colorful stones. The kid was looking at Tony. His lip twitched, somehow managing to joke, even now, even knowing what was about to happen._

_"I'm Spider-Man."_

_The kid snapped his fingers, and it was over._

 

Muddy water pooled at Tony's feet. He was entranced as he watched it, a day's worth of trauma, five years' worth of trauma, washed down the drain. 

Ash clung to his skin. He had to scrub at it to get it off, just as he had to do after Titan. But those had been Peter's ashes. These were his enemies', a token of victory under any other circumstance. 

They might as well have been Peter's ashes for all the good it did the kid. 

He let the water pour over his face. It gathered in his mouth before dripping down his chin. His eyes were open, and he knew he really ought to close them, but they were unresponsive, just like the kid's had been. He stared, slack-jawed, at the tile wall, caught in the void between nightmare and reality. 

 

_Tony found him propped up against the rubble, still in a way that Peter had never been before. Even in sleep the kid tossed and turned, always moving. But as Tony crouched in front of him, the only sign that Peter was even alive was the shallow, almost imperceptible movement of his chest as he breathed._

_"Mr. Stark," Peter choked out, past the blood that was pooling in his mouth. "Did we...win?"_

_Tony swallowed. Reached out to hold Peter, then drew back, as if he might break him."Yeah, buddy," he said. The words were heavy on his tongue. "We did."_

_Peter's head lulled to the side. His eyes were open, but they weren't seeing anything. Or maybe they were. Maybe Peter was already staring down the light at the end of the tunnel, beyond the beyond, a galaxy so distant, so foreign, that Tony would never find him there._

_"No, no, none of that." Tony's fingers brushed the side of his face. The good side, not the half that was riddled with burns and bloodied skin. "Underoos, look at me."_

_Peter glanced back at him. A century passed between each of his blinks._

_"Karen?" Tony was afraid to ask._

_Tony did not program his AIs to grieve, but there was no mistaking the tone in Karen's voice as she gave the report. "Life functions critical."_

 

Someone had left clean clothes neatly folded on the counter top. Tony hadn't even heard the bathroom door open. Sweatpants. An old band t-shirt. Sneakers. His comfort clothes, the kind of outfit he would wear for a day in the lab, not for a day of mourning. 

A note had been placed on top of the stack. It was from Pepper, asking him to meet her in the penthouse, that it was important. 

Tony dried off. He painstakingly put on the clothes, cataloging each new scrape and bruise as he went. Now that the battle was over, he didn't feel like a hero. He felt tired, used, ancient.

Not for the first time that evening, he thought of Peter and tried to make himself feel human again.

 

_Peter blinked when he saw Pepper. Recognition shined in his eyes. "May?" he asked, confused.  "May, I...I-"_

_"I know, sweetie. I love you, too." Pepper didn't miss a beat. She knelt down in front of the kid and grabbed his hand. "You can rest now, Peter. You did so, so good."_

_Tony couldn't take it. If he had to watch the kid die in front of him a second time, he would never recover. He forced his way through the crowd that had gathered behind them. Hands grabbed for him, trying to stop him, but he pushed past them all._

 

Morgan stared at him with wide eyes, silent. Like she didn't even recognize him. 

Tony wondered if, for the first time in her short, innocent life, she could finally see the blood on his hands. 

"Hey, squirt," he asked, trying for a cheerful tone but missing it by a long shot.  "When did you get here?"

"About an hour ago." Pepper emerged from the kitchen, a takeout bag in her hand. "Happy brought her. He also brought you this, so be polite and eat it. You don't want to hurt Happy's feelings."

She handed him the bag. He handed it back.

"I'm not hungry."

Pepper glared at him. “You can’t do this now,” she said.

“Do what? Go off the rails? Self destruct? Is that what you think is happening, here?”

“You have a child, Tony.”

“Yesterday, I had two.” It took all of his willpower not raise his voice, but he didn’t want to yell. Not around Morgan. Never around Morgan. “For a brief moment, I had both of my kids back. But then I lost him. Again.”

Pepper opened her mouth to respond, but she was cut off when the door slammed open. Happy barged into the the room, breathing heavily.

 "You have to come to the Med Bay," he gasped. "It's Peter."

 

_Tony paced the remains of his Compound. He felt oddly indifferent to its destruction. How could the loss of a building compare to the loss of a child?_

_It was Pepper that eventually found him. It was always Pepper._

_"He's alive. They've flown him out to the city for medical treatment. Dr. Cho says its a long shot, but that she might be able to save him," Pepper told him. How could she sound so calm?  "We're going to meet her at the Tower."_

_Tony shook his head. "I can't watch him die again, Pep."_

_Her eyes softened. She stepped close to him and touched his face. Tony wanted to look away, but couldn't. He could never look away from her._

_"He might not die," she said firmly. "But even if he does, you have to be there for him. You'll regret it forever if you aren't."_

_He hated it, but he knew she was right. Peter sacrificed everything. He was a hero. Tony owed it to the kid to be there, even if it destroyed him._

 

Tony braced himself to be slapped. To be yelled at. He deserved it. He welcomed it. But as May Parker approached him, fire burning behind her tear-filled eyes, she did the one thing that Tony never expected. 

She hugged him.

"Thank you," she cried. "You brought the world back. You brought my boy back." 

"He's okay?"

"He's better than okay," Dr. Cho replied as she stepped out from the Med Bay. A smile tugged at her lips, but Tony couldn't process it. Couldn't have imagined a happy outcome to all of this. "He's awake, and he's asking for you."

Despite all of the reassurances, all of the joy emanating from those around them, Tony was afraid to step into the room. He just knew that this good dream would come crashing down around him if he crossed that threshold, that he would find Peter lying cold and still beneath a white sheet. 

He shook away the thought and opened the door. 

"So Thor's hammer is flying through the sky, right? And I've got the gauntlet, I'm surrounded, so I do the only thing that makes sense. I use my webs to grab on to the hammer, and it takes me with it, even though that defies every law of physics ever."

"Dude!" Peter's little friend, Ned, was listening with undivided attention. He was still the same age as Peter, and for that Tony was thankful. The kid deserved all the friends in the world. "Does that mean you're worthy?"

"Oh my God, it does! I'm worthy!" Peter grinned, his eyes brighter than a million suns. 

But then Peter spotted him. The smile slipped from his face. It morphed into something more composed, but the mirth was still there. Tony couldn't breathe. He stood there a moment, trying to wrap his brain around the fact that Peter was alive. Peter was okay. 

The moment passed, and he ran toward his kid. Tony felt only a little bit bad for shoving Ned out of the way as he enveloped Peter in a hug. 

Peter chuckled, surprised, and wrapped one arm around his mentor.  "Whoa, there, Mr. Stark! I missed you, too."

Tony should let go. The hug had gone on too long to be socially acceptable, and he wasn't the only one desperate to see the kid. But he couldn't bring himself to step back. 

"Uh, how long are you going to hug me for?"

"Preferably for the rest of your stupid, reckless life," Tony said, muffled by the kid's shoulder. "But for at least longer than a minute. Also, what gives? I'm going all in here and you're giving me a one-armed hug? Aren't I worth at least two arms after all this shit?"

Ned gasped. "Okay, so you either didn't notice or you just made the world's least funny joke.  I'm not sure which is more concerning."

Peter cleared his throat. He pulled away from the hug. "Yeah, about that..."

He didn't have to explain, because Tony saw it. Bandages were wrapped around Peter's neck and torso, tied off just below where his right shoulder ended, just above where his right arm used to be. 

Peter was missing an arm. 

"They had to amputate it. But it's not as bad as it looks!”  Peter hurriedly explained. "Well, I guess it's exactly as bad as it looks, but I'm okay with it. I really am."

Tony couldn't believe this kid. He had basically come back from the dead, and now he was trying to make Tony feel better about his own debilitating injury. Peter always had to protect others, even from his own pain. He was a hero, through and through.

"I'll make you a new one," Tony promised. "A better one. The best arm that anyone has ever had or ever will have."

"No, no, you don't need to go through all that trouble. A simple arm would be great. A nice, normal prosthetic."

"Earth's best defender, with a normal a prosthetic? Nonsense. You deserve pizazz. All the bells and whistles.”

“Ooh, give him a built-in rocket launcher,” Ned joked.

Tony pointed at him. “See? This kid gets it.”

Peter burst out laughing, and Tony followed suit. The walls he had built up over the years began to melt away, revealing a version of himself he almost forgot existed. 

New York would be safe in Peter’s hands. The _world_ would be safe in Peter’s hands. Tony knew with absolutely certainty that the kid would do great, would _be_  great.

And if Tony’s place was on the sidelines, was to simply give Peter the tools to get him there, well, that was fine by him. 

May took Peter’s hand in hers, offering Tony a kind smile. Rhodey clapped him on the shoulder, Tony's outburst already forgiven. Happy manned the door, trying (and failing) to disguise his tears. Pepper carried Morgan over, and Tony’s two lives finally, blissfully, collided into one. His family was whole. His heart was whole.

Tony had never been a religious man, but as he watched his daughter shyly greet his son, he closed his eyes and offered a prayer to any deity who would listen. 

_Please,_  he whispered. _Let us be happy._

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> that awkward moment when you meant to write the final chapter of your other fic but you start a whole new one instead
> 
> as always, comments and criticism are appreciated! or, come chat with me on tumblr: https://probablyfakenews.tumblr.com/
> 
> i crave validation


	2. gray hairs

 Retirement had never been on the table for Tony. He had always assumed that the last time he took off the iron suit would be when they pried it from his corpse. That he would inevitably die in a desperate attempt to save a world that had never forgiven him for him past mistakes. Maybe his own life would atone for the blood on his hands, and he could finally put his guilt to rest. 

But that was before he had a wife. Before he had a daughter.

Before Peter. 

So as he stood in front of a sea of reporters and made his announcement, Tony didn't feel a single regret. 

"I am stepping down as Iron Man."

Shouts sprung up from the crowd, all clamoring to be heard. Cameras flashed in his face, but Tony was unbothered. He smiled and, for the first time since he could remember, it wasn't just for show. 

"The world has been irreversibly changed," he said. "We have all suffered tremendous lost, and though many of us were lucky enough to see that loss undone after five long years, the impact remains. The Avengers worked night and day for that half of a decade, trying to bring back those we loved. But me? I moved on. I started a beautiful family and tried to put the past and all of its ghosts behind me."

Tony scanned the crowd, who had fallen into enraptured silence. He knew his family stood on the stage behind him, supporting him. Everyone except for Peter who, despite begging to be here, was ordered to stay on bed rest. 

"A new age of heroes has arrived. Recent events have proven that to me. It's time for us old-timers to take a step back and support the new blood as they rise up as the new defenders of the Earth. Trust me, we are in good hands. For once, I want to enjoy living in the world we saved. I want to be a part of my children's lives as they grow up to become heroes in their own ways."

He glanced back at Pepper, who stood behind him with Morgan balanced on her hip. "That may be selfish of me, but I have come to learn that, when you find something good in this world, you have to hold on to it and never let go. If I had to choose between Iron Man and all of the beautiful people I have been blessed to have in my life these past few years, I would pick them every time."

Pepper discretely wiped a tear from her eye. Morgan, who had been shyly hiding her face in Pepper's shoulder, smiled up at him. 

"Iron Man has always been a part of me. He always will. But sometimes, we have to let pieces of ourselves go in order to move forward. I'm finally ready to let that piece go."

Tony removed the arc reactor from his chest, a decoy of course, and set it down on the podium. He walked off the stage and relished in the chaos left in his wake. 

 

 

 

They had split ways after the conference. Pepper had gone to take Morgan home, and he went to go check on Peter. She called him before he even made it back to the Med Bay.

_"Anthony Edward Stark, what did you do?"_

"Sorry, honey, you're gonna have to be more specific. It's been a busy morning."

_"Why have five people congratulated me on my pregnancy in the last ten minutes?"_

"Pregnancy?" Tony froze in the middle of the hall. "Is there something you haven't told me?"

He could hear her eyes roll through the phone. _"Of course not. But something you said must have given the press that impression."_

Tony thought back to the press conference. He paled. "I'll call you back," he said. He hung up and pulled up the first news article he found. It was hastily done, a glorified blog post if anything. 

 

_Pepper Potts Pregnant?_

_Tony Stark is no stranger to rocking the world with his press conferences. In this morning's announcement, the eccentric billionaire and hero not only revealed his retirement plans, but may have let slip the arrival of a second Stark child. When discussing his reasoning for giving up the Iron Man mantle, Stark said "I want to be a part of my children's lives." Tony Stark only has one child on record, five-year-old Morgan. So who are these children that Stark refers to?_

 

Tony laughed, then covered his mouth quickly. Pepper would not find it as funny as he did. He was so used to thinking of Peter as his son that he almost forgot that the kid was not his own. He was about to call Pepper back and explain, but the next article on the blog caught his eye. 

 

_Seven-legged Hero!_

_Two days after those lost in the Decimation were returned to us, Spider-Man was spotted walking the streets of Queens. That's right. Walking, not swinging. Photos from the scene reveal that New York's token hero may have bitten off more than he could chew in the battle upstate. Or, more accurately, something bit too much off of him._

 

The text was followed by a grainy photo of Peter in his Spider-Man suit. He was talking animatedly with a police officer, gesturing with one hand while his other sleeve fell loosely off his frame. 

Tony saw red. He skimmed the rest of the article as he burst through the door to Med Bay. "Underoos, you better be snug as a bug in this bed or I swear to God-"

Peter's bed was empty. Tony wasn't sure why he expected anything else. 

"FRIDAY?" he called out as he swallowed a growing wave of nausea. Don't panic. He's fine. He's fine. "How could let the kid leave without telling me?"

“Mr. Parker has security clearance for all of the Tower, including outside. Would you like to alter his security status?"

“Yes, I would like to alter his security status! Spider-babies who almost died two days ago are not allowed out of bed!" He picked up a dangling cord that was strewn across the bed. The kid had ripped out his IV. "Where is he now?”

"Mr. Parker is currently in a makeshift hospital and shelter in Queens. I sent the address to your phone and suit."

"A hospital?" Tony's heart skipped a beat. "Shit!"

The kid had probably pushed himself too far and passed out somewhere. Nanotech  spread across Tony's form before he could think about it. He climbed out the window that Peter had left open and took to the skies.

 

 

 

The shelter was easy to spot. Tents, trailers, and small patchwork buildings were clustered together in an abandoned parking lot right off the street. Hundreds of people milled about, and from this high up, they reminded Tony of busy ants in a hive. In the aftermath of the Decimation, an unthinkable number of people were left displaced, and as awful as it was, Tony hadn't given them a thought. He had been so worried about taking care of his own family that everyone else be damned. 

Maybe that was the true reason it was time to give up the mantle. He had too much at stake now. The world was no longer his primary concern. 

Tony's joints cracked when he landed on the pavement. He was getting too old for this. The shelter volunteers paused in their work and turned to stare at him. A few pedestrians on the sidewalk already had their phones out taking pictures. Tony didn’t care. He spotted a young woman sitting at a table, clearly the closest thing to a receptionist they could manage, and made a beeline for her. He skipped past the half dozen people waiting in line, but they were too busy gawking to notice.

“Where’s Spider-Man?” Tony demanded. His hand was shaking with nervous energy.

The receptionist picked her jaw up off the floor long enough to point toward what appeared to be a medical tent. Tony all but ran in that direction. The tent was filled to the brim with cots and makeshift beds. He scanned each one, but Peter wasn't there.  

He was about to get worried when he heard a familiar voice.

"Nah, man, Greg's Pizza is the best in all of New York. Hands down."

"Greg's shut down five years ago, dude."

"I literally went there last week. Wait, my last week was five years ago! That's so messed up. Crap, does that mean that all of my free trials ran out?"

Tony finally spotted that familiar red and blue. A line of people stretched from the medical tent to a delivery truck. They passed supplies down like an assembly line. Peter was in the middle of it, as he always was. He accepted a box with his whole arm, no doubt using his sticky powers to keep it balanced, and passed it to the next person in line. The other shelter volunteers seemed comfortable in his presence. They joked with him, chatted with him, didn't gawk and stare like Tony's fans did. Peter really was the hero of the people. Tony found himself frozen in place, hesitant to ruin the moment.

"You raised a good kid."

He jumped at the sudden voice. An older man in a police uniform now stood by his side. He watched the assembly line with a fond smile, and Tony joined him. Peter must have told another joke, because those around him had broken out in laughter. 

"Oh, no, I didn't raise him," he said, although the words didn't sit right on his tongue. "But he is good. Better than me, at least."

"I don't know if I'd go that far. But that boy is the glue that holds this city together. I didn't realize that until we went five years without his help."

"I'm worried about him," Tony replied honestly. He wasn't sure why he was being so open today, so emotional. His panic must be making him vulnerable.

"You should talk to him."

Tony didn't have to come up with an answer to that, because Peter noticed him before he could make a decision. "Mr. Stark!" Peter left his place in the line and trotted over to meet him. He gestured to the iron suit. "Didn't you literally retire like half an hour ago?"

Tony let the nanotech retract, but his suit and tie from the press conference were just as out of place here. He grabbed Peter's shoulders and looked him up and down. 

"FRIDAY?"

“Mr. Parker has sustained no injuries other than his amputation. His vitals are steady, all things considered." FRIDAY's voice softened. "He's okay, Boss."

"Careful,” Peter chuckled. He wormed his way out of Tony’s grip. “Your Dad instincts are showing."

The weight of worry was lifted from Tony's shoulders, but it was replaced quickly by red-hot anger. "What the hell were you thinking?"

Peter's laugh caught in his throat. "I was thinking that I could use some fresh air?"

"Nice try, kid, but no dice. I'm gonna need you to do better than that."

"People are struggling out here. So many people came back without homes, without jobs. The shelters are overrun. They need all the help they can get," Peter placed his hand on his chest, just over the spider emblem. "I'm here. I'm alive again, thanks to you. So I'm obligated to help."

"You almost died two days ago! Let someone else deal with this."

"You know I can't do that! I feel fine now, anyway. Good as new."  Peter spread his arm out and spun in a circle, as if that proved anything. He stumbled and quickly righted himself, but Tony’s heart couldn’t take much more. If the kid pushed himself too far, that was on Tony.

“That’s it," he said. "We’re going home.”

“No! No. I’m fine—”

“Did I stutter?” He grabbed Peter’s arm and started to lead him back to the street where Happy was parked. Peter was strong enough to break out of the grip but allowed himself to be pulled along anyway. Whether it was out of respect or a fear of hurting him, Tony wasn’t sure.

“Mr. Stark, please,” Peter begged as he staggered after him. “I have to do this. Just let me do this.”

"You don't have to do shit!" 

"Yes, I do!"

“Why?" Tony struggled to keep from raising his voice, but it didn't matter. They were already causing a scene. The assembly line had paused and were now watching the exchange in tense silence. "What do you have to prove?”

“Everything!"

Tony froze. He let go of Peter's arm. The kid turned away from him and cradled his injured shoulder. "If I'm not even capable of doing something as small as this," Peter began, quiet. "If I can't even help carry boxes, or pass out blankets, or help little kids find their parent, then what can I do? What am I good for?"

"Pete..."

Peter's breaths came in short pants, and Tony desperately wanted to hold him, to console him, but was afraid he would make it worse. This side of Peter was one that he was unfamiliar with, and it pained him.

"You talked in your speech about a new age of heroes," Peter gasped. "I really want to be a part of that. I really, really want to make you proud, but I can't. I can't do that when I'm like this! I'm useless!"

Peter darted off, past the onlookers, past the tents. Tony stared after him, dumbfounded. What happened to the cheerful kid in the hospital bed, full of jokes and reassurances? Peter's wall of bravado had to crumble eventually. After all, the kid had been through two intense battles and a disabling injury in less than half an hour, from Peter's perspective. That kind of trauma took a toll on anyone , let alone a teenager. He should have anticipated this. He should have prepared for this. 

"Go after him," the officer from earlier told him. When had he gotten here? "I'll keep the crowd here. Give you some privacy. Go."

Tony gave the man a grateful nod and ran after Peter. "FRIDAY," he ordered into his wristwatch. "Help me out here."

"Mr. Parker is located on the building to your right, approximately ten meters above the ground."

A large warehouse was situated beside the lot with the tents. Tony slowed to a jog until he spotted Peter curled up on a window ledge on the third floor of the building. A rusted out fire escape trailed below the ledge, but it didn't quite reach the ground.

"How the hell did you even get up there?"

Peter didn't lift his head from his knees, so his voice was slightly muffled when he responded. "I'm sticky, remember?"

Tony shook his head. To crawl up a wall with only one functional arm was still quite the feat, even with super strength and strange, sticky powers. "I don't suppose you'll come down so I can talk to you?" he ventured.

No answer. 

Tony sighed. "Didn't think so." He took off his suit jacket and let it fall to the asphalt. He jumped for the first floor fire escape. The ladder evaded his grasp by a few inches and he fell to the ground with a frustrated shout. 

Peter poked his head over the ledge. His eyes were rimmed with red, and the ghosts of tears left tracks down his cheeks. "What are you doing?"

"Isn't it obvious? I'm climbing up there."

"Why don't you just use the suit?"

"Like you so helpfully pointed out earlier, I'm retired. Gotta get used to doing things the old-fashioned way." Tony jumped again. His fingers missed the ladder by a long shot. He could hear snickering drift down from the window ledge.

"Stop!" Peter said, biting down a laugh. "Jeez, you're going to hurt yourself, you old geezer. I'll be down in a sec."

Tony tried not to stare as Peter lowered himself from the ledge, using his legs and arm to awkwardly climb back down the wall. They both took a seat against the side of the building.  

"So, do you wanna talk about what happened back there?"

"Not really."

Tony hummed. He let the conversation fade back to silence, giving Peter the space he needed to talk. 

"I'm sorry for going off on you back there," Peter said. He wiped his eyes on the back of his glove. "I embarrassed you in front of everyone."

"You could never embarrass me. But I am worried about you. Do you really think you're useless?"

"Kinda? I mean, I can't exactly be a superhero when I can barely put on a t-shirt."

"You'll get back on your feet. I will help you every step of the way until you're back to being the loveable crime-fighting webslinger that you are. But it's gonna take time, kid. Chill out for a bit. Take care of yourself first, and then worry about the rest of the city."

"Do you really think its that's simple?"

"It's not simple. And it won't be easy. But you're not one to shy away from a bit of hard work, are you?"

"No," Peter agreed. The smallest of smiles spread across his lips. 

"Come here, kid." Tony pulled him into a side hug, and Peter melted into his side. "You're going to be the greatest hero of them all. I believe in you more than I've ever believed in anything."

Peter glanced up at him with wide, disbelieving eyes. He opened his mouth to speak but then pressed his lips firmly closed. He burrowed back into Tony's side. Tony draped his suit jacket across Peter's shoulders.

"Thanks, Mr. Stark."

 

 

 

Several minutes later, the moment was interrupted by the patter of small footsteps. A little girl, no older than seven or eight, approached them. She was wearing an oversized red t-shirt with a crude Spider-Man logo. It was clearly homemade, and well-loved, if the hole in her left sleeve was anything to go by. Her other sleeve hung loosely off her shoulder. She was missing the same arm as Peter. 

"Hey there." Peter rose up into a crouch, eye-level with the girl. He held out his hand. "I'm Spider-Man. What's your name?"

She reached out with her one good hand, hesitant, and shook it. "Sadie," she mumbled. 

"Sadie, huh? That's a pretty name," Peter remarked. "Do you know where your parents are, Sadie? Or whoever it is that is looking after you?"

"I don't know where my mama is."

"How about I help you find her, yeah?"

Sadie nodded, and Tony couldn't help but notice how much she looked like Morgan. Peter stood. He adjusted Tony's jacket around himself before leading Sadie back toward the tents. Tony trailed after them and gave Peter space to do his thing. 

"My brother says that there's no way you can be Spider-Man anymore."

"Why's that?"

"He says that disabled people can't be superheroes. That you can't do the things you do without your arm."

"Well, it will certainly be a lot more difficult. But a friend helped me to realize that losing my arm doesn't have to keep me from doing what I love. I can do anything I set my mind to. I just need a bit more time and help to get there."

Tony smiled. He fell back so that he could call Happy and update him on the situation. Peter and Sadie were a good ways ahead of Tony, out of his sight, when he noticed a woman running toward him. He put his phone back in his pocket.

"Oh my God," she said, out of breath. "You're Tony Stark. Can you help me?"

"That strongly depends on what you need help with, ma'am."

"My girl. I can't find my little girl anywhere. I turned my back for one second and she ran off!"

"Is her name Sadie?" At the woman's nod, he continued. "She's okay. My kid has her. I'll take you to her."

He placed a hand on her shoulder and lead her back toward the tent where he had last seen Peter.

"Thank you so much! I've been so worried." The woman's voice was thick with the warning of tears. "Sadie lost her arm when she came back from the Snap. She reformed wrong because something was overlapping where she had been standing all those years ago. She's just a little girl. She shouldn't have to put up with this." 

Many people had reformed in unfortunate circumstances. Those that had been in airplanes or on boats had fallen to their deaths or into the icy seas, where rescue ships had not been fast enough to save them. They reappeared in the middle of busy freeways and caused massive traffic accidents. Worst of all, the Avengers had all been in a battle upstate, unavailable to help in the immediate aftermath of the return. 

Tony knew he should have done more to help them. Should have planned for it, had protocols in place. Should have done more than mope in a hospital room, thinking himself a failure.

"She wants to be a dancer," the woman continued. "She was good at it, too. Won all kinds of competitions. She lost all hope after the incident, but that was before she saw Spider-Man on the news today. Her eyes lit up so bright when she saw this hero that she idolizes, facing an injury just like hers, putting himself out there and making a difference. She begged me to come here and see him."

"I'm glad you brought her here. It'll be good for both of them," Tony told her. "He's had a bit of a rough time figuring out where to go from here. I keep trying to encourage him, but you know how it is."

"Is it fair for us to encourage them?" The woman asked. Tony turned to look at her, surprised.  "We're just giving them false hope. It's not like she can actually become a professional dancer anymore. And Spider-Man.... helping carry boxes is one thing, but do you really think he'll be able to fight again? To swing around like he does?"

"I do. I don't know much about you or your daughter, but I think you might be underestimating her," Tony said. "I've actually been working on a little something for Spider-Man, to help him get back on his feet. I might be able to help Sadie too. Can I have your contact information?"

 

 

 

When Tony finally caught up with the kids, they were dancing. 

Someone was playing music from a handheld speaker. Peter grabbed Sadie's hand and helped her twirl to the beat. A small crowd had gathered around them, clapping and swaying. Sadie was grinning, eyes bright, and despite the mask, Tony could tell that Peter was beaming too. 

"Sadie!" Sadie's mother ran forward, and scooped her daughter into her arms. "Don't scare me like that again!"

"Mama, Spider-Man thinks I can still dance!"

"Does he now?"

"Yeah! And if Spider-Man says it then it must be true!"

Peter waved goodbye to the gathered group and was met with a chorus of 'thank you's and declarations of love. He joined Tony on the sideline. Tony lifted his arm so that Peter could tuck into his side and found himself supporting much more of Peter's weight than expected. 

"All that dancing tire you out?" 

Peter nodded. Tony could read the exhaustion in his posture. "I'm starting to see why the doctor wanted me to stay in bed."

"Oh, you're only seeing that now?" Tony joked. "You see these gray hairs? Ninety percent of those are your fault." 

Peter looked up at him. "I think I understand what you were trying to tell me about heroes," he said. "It's going to be a long time before I can fight again, and I might never be as agile as I used to be. But there are others ways that I can help that are just as meaningful. I made a little girl smile again. That's a win, right?"

"That's definitely a win," Tony agreed.  "Come on, hero. Let's go home."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you all for being patient with this story! i definitely didn't intend for it to take that long to update, but a lot of stuff happened that was outside of my control. i'm going to post the final chapter of my other story next, and then add another chapter of irondad here in time for father's day, if all goes well  
> let me know what you all think :)


	3. breaking the cycle

"Only you could become even more of a workaholic after you retired." Peter sat cross-legged on the ceiling, reading a book for his literature class. Half of the world had only just blipped back into existence, but the public education system still marched on. "Take a nap, old man."

Tony tinkered at the mechanical arm strewn across his work table. He had spent nearly every waking moment of the last week working on Peter's arm, taking the time to fine-tune it. "Looking out for you heathens is a full-time job," Tony joked. "And for the last time, I'm not old!"

Peter sat the book in his lap and licked his finger to turn the page. Tony cringed. "Sure you aren't, Mr. Stark."

"If you don't watch that tone, I might add some embarrassing new protocols to this arm. Maybe I'll make it pick your nose on my command."

"Gross!"

"I know its been hard on you, being cooped up in here," Tony told him. Peter looked up from his book. "You want to get out there. I see you checking the news on your phone every five minutes. But I promise you, you won't regret taking it easy for a while."

"I know."

"Plus, I like spending time with you. Hanging out in the workshop, fixing up stuff. That's some quality father-son bonding right there, don't you think?"

Tony glanced up at Peter one last time, just in time to catch the blush that worked its way up the kid's face. Peter hid his grin behind the book. "Yeah, Dad. It is,” he said. “But do you think we could go out for burgers tomorrow? It’s only a half day at school.”

“Sure, kiddo. We can bring Morgan, too. Make it a family lunch date.”

“I’d like that.”

Tony fell into a rhythm. Tighten this. Adjust that. Redesign, reprogram, repeat. He measured time by the changing songs on his playlist, and by the migraine that gradually built behind his eyes. 

"Kid, pass me that wrench."

He held out his hand and was greeted with cold metal. He looked up to thank the kid but instead met Pepper's exasperated stare.

"Peter left hours ago, hon," she informed him. "Did you only just notice?"

Tony sat down the wrench. He rubbed his eyes. "Shit," he answered lamely. 

"It's okay. We know how you get when you're working on something." She placed a fast food bag and a mug of coffee on his worktable. "Just make sure you get some sleep, okay? Don't forget about Career Day tomorrow morning. Morgan is so excited. She won't stop talking my ear off about how her Daddy's going to show all her classmates how cool he is."

"I haven't forgotten. Who do you take me for, my father?"

Pepper's eyes saddened. "Of course not. But we're all human." She planted a kiss on his cheek. "Goodnight, Tony."

She left the lab and closed the door behind her. Tony picked up the wrench and worked well into the night. 

 

 

He didn't remember falling asleep, but when he woke, bright light filtered in through the windows. Panic set in, quick and deep. "FRIDAY?"

"Yes, Boss?"

"What time is it?"

"10:34 am."

"No." Tony jumped to his feet. Tools and spare parts fell to the floor with a clatter. "No, no, no."

Morgan's Career Day had started at nine this morning. Each child's parent or guardian had been invited to give a brief showcase of their job. Every guardian had accepted, including Tony. He wondered what Morgan thought of him now. Was she looking around the classroom, seeing all of the people around her, and wondering why her Daddy never showed?

So much for breaking the cycle of bad parenting.

Thankfully, he had been scheduled to go last. Maybe there was still time. He didn't bother waiting for Happy to drive him. He grabbed the keys to the nearest car and sped off toward the school. 

 

 

Stares followed in his wake as he half-jogged through the hall of Morgan's elementary school. He knew what he must look like to them. Tony Stark, eccentric billionaire and retired Avenger, sweaty and greased stained in his old t-shirt and jeans, his visitor's pass lopsided and slightly crinkled from his haste. By the time he approached Morgan's classroom, several staff members and parents had taken pictures of him. That was fine with him, as long as the school abided by his strict no photo policy on Morgan.

Tony swallowed the nerves that threatened to strangle him and stepped into the classroom. Dread rushed in when he found Morgan’s seat empty. He was about to start a schoolwide search when the teacher’s voice directed his attention to the front of the room. 

"Tell us more about what you do at Stark Industries, Peter."

Peter stood by the teacher’s desk, wearing khaki slacks and an oversized Stark Industries sweatshirt. Morgan stood by his side, looking prim and proper in the dress that Pepper must have picked out for her his morning. 

"Um, well-"

"My big brother Petey is the _coolest_ ," Morgan interjected. "He's the smartest person there! Except for Daddy, obviously."

Peter ducked his head in embarrassment and chuckled. "I don't know about that, Morg," he said. "I'm only an intern at SI, so I mainly do grunt work. Routine maintenance, coffee runs, that sort of thing. Oh, and I get to build robots sometimes! Do you wanna see what I've been working on?"

Peter crouched down to unzip his backpack, which was leaning against the wall. When he stood back up, a small round contraption was cradled in his hand. He set it down on the teacher’s desk. Four metallic legs sprouted from each side, and it began to scuttle about, looking around the room with eight blinking camera lenses. Tony gasped. He had seen Peter’s blueprint for the device, drawn up long before the Snap, but he had no idea that the kid had managed to finish it.

“I call this little guy Spider-Bot,” Peter announced with a shy smile. “I can control him with this little remote here, or I can just let him roam free. He has a low level AI system that keeps him somewhat on the right track even without my guidance.”

A parent raised their hand. “What can he do?” 

“I’m glad you asked. Let me give you a demonstration.” Peter drew a series of four targets on the board with a dry erase marker. He struggled a bit to uncap the marker with one hand, but other than that he moved with the ease of a master salesman. 

“Spider-Bot, web em up!”  The robot whirled around and shot four webs in the span of a couple seconds. A web hit each bullseye dead center.

“He can also climb walls, record visual and audio, detect heat signatures, and shoot a small electrical impulse that can disable most bombs,"" Peter explained. "It's meant to be a gift to Spider-Man.”

Several kids squealed in delight. Even a couple parents gasped at the idea. "Do you know Spider-Man?" a little boy asked.

Tony smiled. The boy's mother started to shush him, but Peter stopped her. 

"Oh, yeah, I've met Spider-Man,” he said. “You could say we're pretty close."

Peter answered questions and messed around with Spider-Bot until his time ran out. The crowd broke into applause. Tony was the loudest among them. He whistled enthusiastically. Peter glanced up at him, grinned, and got Morgan's attention. 

She ran up to Tony and leapt into his arms. "Daddy!"

He twirled her around before setting her back on the floor. “Hey, Pumpkin. How was Career Day?”

“It was so cool! Petey was better than all those chumps!"

A couple of parents glanced their way. Tony coughed awkwardly. "Now, Morgan. We respect people of all careers, right?"

"Yeah," she answered in a drawn-out way that suggested she disagreed. "But Peter was definitely cooler than the _accountant_."

"What about the veterinarian?" Peter had finished packing up his presentation and finally joined them.  They started to make their way down the hall, following in the flow of the other guardians and students. "She even brought a rabbit. How cool is that?"

Morgan titled her head to the side, considering it. "Pretty cool," she agreed. "But robots are still cooler than rabbits."

"If you say so," Tony said. "How about we go out for cheeseburgers?"

"And ice cream?"

"And ice cream. You're mother is going to kill me, you know."

"Worth it," Morgan said with a smirk.

Tony sputtered. "Such disrespect," he said. He held open the door for them both. "And from my own offspring even. At least Pete would never betray me like this."

"That's where you're wrong, Mr. Stark. I would totally sacrifice you for ice cream."

Tony discretely flipped him off. "Alright, brats. Get in the car before I change my mind."

Morgan stood on her tip toes to peek into the passenger window. "Where's Uncle Happy?" 

"You're driving us?" Peter's eyes grew wide.

"Don't act so worried. I'm a great driver," Tony reassured, ignoring all the traffic laws he broke on the way to the school. "I think I'm going to start doing more of this stuff myself now that I'm technically retired. Dropping you guys off at school. Packing lunches in brown paper bags. The works."

Peter whistled. "Wow. I never thought I would see the day that Tony Stark became a stay-at-home Dad."

"You have to admit, it makes more sense than Pepper being a stay-at-home Mom."

"True. Stark Industries would crumble in one day without her."

"Oh, and it does just fine without me?"

Peter didn't dignify than with a response. Tony buckled Morgan into her seat and shut the door. Peter was still standing behind him, fidgeting nervously.

"The awkwardness is actually radiating off of you," Tony remarked. "Spit it out before you have a stroke."

"I had a feeling that I should be here today. Something in my gut told me that Morgan needed me, so I skipped class and came straight over," Peter said. "I know you didn't have a great relationship with your father, that he wasn't there for you when you needed him-"

"I don't really need a refresher of my shitty childhood."

"That's not... I'm not trying to make you feel bad. It's actually the opposite. You're a great Dad, Mr. Stark. You care. You're there for her.  I just don't want you to let this one mistake eat you up inside."

Tony scoffed. "I've made way more than one mistake. Do you want the list of my shortcomings chronologically or alphabetically?"

"Forget it," Peter groaned. "You're hopeless. Let's just go eat."

Peter moved to go around the car to sit beside Morgan, but Tony stopped him with a hand on his shoulder. "You saved my ass today. Heroes get front seat privileges."

"In that case, can I drive?"

"Sure." Tony tossed him the keys.

Peter caught them, sputtering. "I was joking! I don't even have a license yet. Or my other arm!"

"I trust you, and I will help you if you need it. Just don't tell your aunt."

Peter glanced at the keys, then back at Tony. He grinned and closed his fist around the keys. "Alright. Thanks, Mr. Stark!"

Tony climbed into the passenger seat just as Peter slid behind the wheel and started the car. He turned up the radio when he heard Back in Black playing.

"Hell yeah," Peter said as he pulled out of the parking space. "I love Led Zeppelin!"

"Me too!" Morgan squealed. Tony glanced back and saw her banging her head to the beat.

"Is it too late to disown you two?"

Tony never would have imagined himself craving a dull, domestic life. But as he listened to Morgan's mindless chatter, and as he gave Peter driving tips, he realized that this was exactly what he needed. Peace. Quiet. Family. He sometimes wished Peter would give up Spider-Man. He was half tempted to throw away the arm he made and give Peter a standard prosthetic. Maybe he could force Peter into having a normal life with girls and band practice and college applications instead of muggings and Titans and ash. 

But Peter was Spider-Man. And Spider-Man was Peter. To separate the two would be the same as destroying the soul behind them both.

"Hey, kid," he said, cheerful, but the words felt like sand on his tongue. "I've got a gift for you when we get home."

 

 

"Go on. Give it a try." 

Peter flexed his fingers. He curled his hand into a fist and opened it up again. "It's so light," he said, amazed. "And smooth. It feels just like my normal arm."

"You're damn right it does. I don't mess around. The prosthetic should have the same reaction time as your original arm. We'll run some reflex tests these next couple of days to make sure there's no delay, but how does it feel?"

"Good," Peter rolled his shoulder, then started stretching out his arm. "Great. Thank you, Mr. Stark.”

“You’re never gonna stop calling me Mr. Stark are you?”

“Not until I’m old and gray, and you’re even older and grayer.”

“Can’t wait,” Tony said. Any future in which Peter lived to be old was a good one in Tony’s book. “The arm can stick to things, too. Why don’t you give it a shot?”

Peter hesitantly placed his prosthetic hand against the wall. He made his fingertips stick and unstick. The gesture seemed natural. Effortless. He looked back towards Tony with a glimmer of hope.

Tony smiled in a way he hoped was encouraging. “You’ve got this.“

Peter stuck his other hand to the wall, then his feet, and soon he was crawling up to the ceiling. “Yes!” Peter cheered. “I’m your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man!”

Tony celebrated with him. Tears pooled in the corner of his eyes, and he wasn’t sure if they were from joy or dread. 

Was it too late to convince Peter to become a normal high school kid?

Peter unstuck himself from the ceiling and landed lightly beside Tony. "Thank you again," Peter began. "I can't even begin to thank you, and I really don't want to impose even more on you and seem ungrateful, but May and I were talking,  and we had some ideas and -"

"I'm gonna stop you before you run out of oxygen. Give me the CliffNotes version."

"I want to make prosthetics like this for the public. And obviously I need your support. This kind of project is uber expensive, and the tech is still beyond my level," Peter said. "But I'm willing to put in the effort. I'll fund raise. I'll do the grunt work. Will you help me?"

"Of course." Tony clapped Peter on the shoulder and pulled him into a side hug. He led Peter over to his work station. "But I'm already one step ahead of you. Wanna see the blueprints I drew up for that little girl? What was her name? Sadie?"

Most Dads took their sons on fishing trips. Tied their sons' ties for prom. Helped their sons fix up cars. Tony took his son to Berlin. Fitted him in a mulit-million dollar super suit. Helped him create robotic arms for those in need. 

It wasn't traditional. It wasn't normal. Sometimes it was stressful and terrifying and batshit insane. But he wouldn't have it any other way. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> these past 2 months have been insane, but i finally have time to write again. thanks for your patience with this story! Feel free to comment, criticize, or come chat with me on tumblr under the same name  
> <3


	4. empty nest

 Tony ran around the kitchen like a maniac. He stirred the sauce, sauteed the vegetables, but there was still something he was missing. Morgan watched him from her seat on the counter top, amused. She was twelve now, and Tony could see Pepper in the way she smiled, in all the ways that she held herself.

But unfortunately for the universe, she had inherited Tony's taste for chaos. 

“Shit.” Tony ran his hand through his hair. “I forgot the garlic bread!”

“Good thing your favorite daughter remembered to put it in,” Morgan said. “Honestly, what would you do without me and Mom? You get like this every time she goes on a business trip.”

“Starve, probably,” Tony admitted. “What did I do to deserve you?"

Morgan grinned. "Face it, Dad. You don't deserve me."

"The sass on this one. You get it from your mother, I swear."

She lifted an eyebrow at him. “Why are you so stressed? It’s just Peter and Michelle. We don’t have to impress them.”

“I just want to do something nice for them. Is that so hard for you to believe?”

“Yes, actually.” Morgan hopped down from the counter. “Do you want to know what I think is going on?”

“No, but I assume you’ll tell me either way.”

“I think this is empty nest syndrome.”

Tony rolled his eyes. “Obviously not, Nancy Drew. You still live here.”

“Peter hasn’t stopped by in what? Three months? Four? Your baby boy has left the nest, and now you're a lonely old man. Desperation doesn't look good on you.”

Tony frowned. Was that what was going on here? Sure, he hadn’t seen Peter in a while, but he didn’t take it personally. Definitely not. Peter was just too busy with grad school and Spider-Man and whatever else he was up to these days. Besides, it’s not like Tony could win the kid back with pasta. 

But he could damn well try.

“Go set the table for me, Pumpkin," he said in lieu of responding to her theory. "They should be here any minute.”

He went back to stirring the sauce. He had been trying to cook more these past few years. Take a break on takeout and put real effort into his meals. Not to toot his own horn, but he had gotten really good at it.

When Morgan returned to the kitchen, her shoulders sagged. “I think it’s safe to assume dinner is cancelled,” she said.

“What? Why?”

"Peter's on TV.”

Morgan propped up her Stark Tablet on the counter so they could both watch the news broadcast while Tony cooked. It was a live stream of a battle happening somewhere in Manhattan. A man, who the news anchor referred to as Electro, was sparking with yellow energy. He hovered over a crowded street while the civilians shoved each other in a desperate attempt to get away.

Electro raised his arm, and the electricity gathered around his palm. The energy ball grew hungrily and pulsated, dangerously close to breaking free. A blur of red and blue flashed across the screen, and then Spider-Man tackled Electro out of the sky. 

Tony had a white-knuckled grip on the counter. Peter was well into his twenties now, he reminded himself. An adult. An established super hero. This wasn’t his first time around the block. But all Tony could see was a scared little boy, wrapped in a parachute, plummeting into the Hudson.

“I should go help him,” he said. 

“Dad, no.” Morgan grabbed his arm. “We’ve talked about this. Peter can handle himself.”

“I know he can. But it never hurts to have backup.”

“And what are you going to do? This is why Mom locked up your suits, you know.”

Tony scoffed. “If you think those are the only suits I have, you’re sorely mistaken, little girl.”

The news helicopter followed the pair as they fell. Peter turned his descent into a swing. Electro shot energy behind him, flying similarly to Tony in his iron suit, and gave chase. Peter lead him to an empty construction site. He used the landscape to his advantage, slingshotting off the cranes, weaving through scaffolding, always moving. He shot webs from all angles and altitudes in a whirlwind that was impossible to keep up with. Soon, Electro was wrapped in a cocoon of webs. Tony allowed himself a second to breathe. He was being silly. Of course Peter didn’t need his help.

Suddenly yellow sparks worked their way up and down Electro’s form. The webs burst apart. A beam of bright white energy shot out of his palm and hit Peter square in the chest. He slammed down against the asphalt.

Tony waited with bated breath, but Peter didn’t get back up.

“Call him, FRI.”

“Calling Peter Parker,” FRIDAY droned. “He’s not answering, Boss.”

“Patch it through to Karen.”

“Karen is unresponsive. Should I try again, sir?”

“Yes. Call him again.”

The second call remained unanswered. Peter didn’t get up. Electro landed on the ground by Peter and kicked him, making sure he was down. Peter didn’t so much as flinch in response.

Karen always patched his calls through. Even when Peter was unconscious, she still picked up to give Tony a status report.  The only reason she wouldn't would be if Peter wasn't alive to answer. 

The walls of the kitchen melted away, and Tony found himself standing on Titan. His knees sank deep into red sand as Peter collapsed against him, digging his fingers into Tony's back. Tony cradled his kid in his arms as Peter's face paled, as the life drained out of him.

"I don't feel so good, Mr. Stark," Peter cried. Tony grasped desperately at the pieces that broke away from Peter's body, as if he could salvage something, anything. He was left with nothing but the taste of ash in his mouth and the weight of guilt on his heart. 

Tony blinked and found himself in the kitchen again. He had fallen to his knees on the tile. The spaghetti spoon laid abandoned on the floor beside him. Sauce spattered around it in a grotesque imitation of blood. His fists were clenched so tightly that his nails had carved crescent shaped scars into his palms. He was shaking, and it took him a moment to notice Morgan in front of him, gripping his shoulders, trying to jar him back to reality.

"Dad?" she begged. "Dad, he's fine. He's okay. Pete's okay. It's all okay."

Tony reached up and brushed the hair out her face. At least he still had her. Thank God he still had her.

"Hello? Earth to Dad?" She snapped her fingers in front of his face. Tony flinched.

_Hello, Inevitable. I'm Spider-Man_.

"Can you hear me? I said Peter is okay."

"What?" Tony croaked. He scrambled to his feet and grabbed Morgan's tablet like it was a life line.

Peter slowly pushed himself to his feet. He twitched every now and then as a leftover jolt of electricity coursed through him, but he was alive. He was okay. Tony watched, still stuck in his state of disbelief, as Peter attacked Electro with renewed vigor. Morgan stood on her tiptoes to watch Peter wrap up the villain in so much webbing he was barely recognizable as human. Police rushed on to the scene, and Tony stepped back, relieved that it was finally over.

"Boss," FRIDAY said. Her voice was quieter than normal. Softer. "It appears that all of Mr. Parker's electronic suit functions are down due to the energy surge from the attack."

So the reason Karen hadn't accepted the call was because she wasn't functioning at the time. "Thanks, FRI."

"Should I schedule a maintenance appointment for Mr. Parker's suit?"

"No. I'll call him in a little while. Give him time to rest. Besides, he knows his suit better than I do at this point. He doesn't even need-"

A shrill beeping cut him off. He jumped out of his skin, cursing. Couldn't the universe give his heart a break for once? Smoke poured out from the oven, which set off the alarm. Tony  rushed over in a panic. His sauce had overboiled and burned into an usuable mess. Morgan opened the oven door and found hunks of charcoal where their garlic bread used to be.

"I'm sorry, kid," Tony told her. He turned the stove eye off and resisted the urge to fall into a self-deprecating spiral. Peter hated when he did that. He settled for squeezing his eyes shut and pinching the bridge of his nose. "Looks like dinner was a bust."

Morgan grabbed his free hand. Hers was warm and soft compared to his calloused, abused fingers. "It's okay. I would rather have PB & J's anyway."

"PB & J," Tony echoed. "Yeah. Yeah, that sounds nice. Why don't you get the bread out for us while I clean this shit- I mean, this stuff up."

"You use that word too much. I bet you owe Mom a fortune in royalties."

"Good thing I'm so fu-" Tony backtracked at Morgan's glare. "Freaking rich."

"At this rate we're going to have enough cash in the swear jar to cover my college fund."

"Yeah, yeah. Get to work on those sandwiches, smart ass."

Morgan stuck her tongue out at him as she opened the peanut butter. Tony returned the favor as he grabbed the jelly. They made their sandwiches in silence while the news station went on commercial break.

They both knew that they wouldn’t have guests tonight. But they each made an extra sandwich just in case.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> gerald the alpaca is the best character in the mcu change my mind


End file.
